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Ernie Civic was always active as a kid. "I played a lot. I was always outside doing things," he said.

As he got older, the Erie native's interests drew him indoors -- to a gym.

"It's a wonderful lifestyle," Civic, 23, a personal trainer at Planet Fitness, said of physical fitness. For the past seven months, he has taken that lifestyle outdoors with GetFitErie, a nonprofit organization that challenges and brings awareness to childhood obesity.

"We're setting up a whole bunch of events, a whole bunch of activities, for children to get them playing, to get them active," he said. "We're teaching them the importance of healthy exercise and fitness. The idea is to change the habits of kids (about) leading healthier lives and more activity-based lives."